I haven't seen this movie yet, although I plan to. However, according to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huo_Yuanjia he never really fought any foreigner fighters except for punching some Judo guys in the hands. It seems this movie is VERY LOOSELY based on reality. Or did he not fight any foreigner fighters in the movie?

Quote:I thought fearless was great.. I was hoping like christ it wouldnt be like hero..i mean seriously....WTF IS UP WITH THAT LAKE SCENE!?!!?? or the flying in midair for 20 minutes during a fight?? WTF!?? But anyway 9/10 for fearless. Ive met that big strong dude in real life too.

I sorta feel sorry that you don't get it.

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To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill."
~ Sun Tzu ~

Quote:I haven't seen this movie yet, although I plan to. However, according to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huo_Yuanjia he never really fought any foreigner fighters except for punching some Judo guys in the hands. It seems this movie is VERY LOOSELY based on reality. Or did he not fight any foreigner fighters in the movie?

Well apparantly he really fight any foreign fighters but he did take up the challenges set by foreign fighters and then they never showed up at the time of the fight. In this way he become somewhat of a hero to the Chinese people.

The film is based very loosely on Huo Yuanjia, his descendants even went as far as sueing the film makers for inaccuracies in the script.

A Brief History of Huo Yuanjia’s Life and TimesFor centuries, China was a leading civilization, easily outpacing the rest of theworld in the arts and sciences. But times and circumstances changed, and bythe time Huo Yuanjia journeyed to Shanghai in 1910, China had becomewracked by civil unrest. The citizens’ spirits were worn down by a lengthyperiod of military defeats and foreign occupation.70 years prior, the first Opium War began and, for the first time in its history,China found itself militarily and strategically outclassed by foreigners. As aresult of the Treaty of Nanjing, the country was forced to open up its ports toEuropean traders and settlers and the opium trade started to flourish. Thisbeginning of the era which Chinese historians refer to as “the time of unequaltreaties” marked a time of unprecedented degradation for China and itspeople. Japan’s victory during the Sino&#8208;Japanese War further sapped thenational morale in “the Weak Man of the East.”It was in this humbling context that Huo, in 1909, founded a martial artsschool, the Jingwu Sports Federation (the motto of which is “Body, Mind andSoul”). Jingwu introduced gymnastics training into its curriculum, and otherschools followed suit. The school also encouraged cooperation, selfimprovement,and national pride.Huo had been born circa 1868 into a Wushu (the general Chinese&#8208;languageterm for martial arts) master’s family, in Dongguang County (south of Tianjin). His father made a living working as a bodyguard for wealthy people.As a child, Huo was weak and often ill; his father therefore decided not toteach Huo martial arts. But the boy was determined to learn and mastermartial arts. Daily, he would watch his father and brothers practice Wushuand then mimic their moves in secret, in a forest of date trees. Taking note ofHuo’s determination, his father reconsidered and began to teach him martial arts. Huo learned the family’sown fighting style as well as the essentials of other schools of fighting.In 1890, a visiting Wushu master engaged in trials of strength with Huo’sfamily members. The master, Du, defeated Huo’s brothers. But Huo, with oneswift kick, knocked the man flat. Word of this victory spread through Huo’svillage and the neighboring regions.In 1901, Huo was present at a public match where a Russian fighter verballyinsulted the Chinese people. Hearing this, Huo mounted the platform andreprimanded the man. Cowed by Huo’s bravery, the fighter apologized.In the spring of 1909, a British fighter named O’Brien came to Shanghai andannounced that he would take on any Chinese contenders. Huo accepted thechallenge, and also let it be known that he in turn would fight any foreignfighters. O’Brien left Shanghai before Huo could fight him. This rout greatlyenhanced the Chinese people’s morale, and Huo was spurred to found Jingwuto advance healthy body and spirit for a healthier nation. He taught as themain coach at the school.Huo’s life was cut short on September 14th, 1910, during the Shanghaitournament that would secure his place in Chinese history. Differing theoriesas to the specifics of his untimely death abound. The two most prevalent onesare that he was poisoned at a peace&#8208;making banquet given by the JapaneseJudo wrestlers; or that he was poisoned with jaundice medication prescribedby a Japanese doctor who was also a teacher of the tournament’s Judocompetitors, and who fled Shanghai upon news of Huo’s death.The man was gone, but his legacy was already taking hold; in shoring upChina’s strength and spirit, Huo had inspired and unified an entire nation.Long revered in China as a hero and patriot, Huo’s discoveries and teachingscontinue to transform lives (as the Jingwu Sports Federation has branches inover 50 countries) and convey the soul of martial arts.